POPULATION 45.7 MILLION
FOREIGN VISITORS PER YEAR APPROX 20 MILLION
CAPITAL KIEV
LANGUAGES UKRAINIAN (OFFICIAL), RUSSIAN, HUNGARIAN, ROMANIAN, POLISH
MAJOR INDUSTRIES METALS, CHEMICALS, MACHINERY, AGRICULTURE UNIT OF CURRENCY UKRAINIAN HYRVNIA (UAH)
THE ADVENTURE KICKS OFF…
It's always the same. When we don't know much about a country, we just fill in the gaps with clichés- and Ukraine, the great unknown of Europe, has had plenty hurled at it. Wide-scale counter-espionage? No, not even in Odessa. Communist grime everywhere you look? One glimpse of glorious Old Town Kiev or the wildlife on unspoilt Crimean shores will set you straight. Wolves? OK, there are wolves, and bears as well if you scour the lovely, lonely Carpathians, but you're more likely to encounter magical folk traditions and Gothic scenery dramatic enough to make Dracula cast an envious eye east. Cheap beer? You bet: it's cheaper than water. Football? Funny you should mention that…
It's through the power of soccer that Ukraine is poised to showcase its charms to unprecedented numbers of visitors. It will co-host Euro 2012 (the European football championships) and the four match venues have been cunningly selected to encourage further travel by visiting football fans. So Lviv becomes the jumping-off point for Carpathian exploration, while Kiev, which stages the final, will become base for forays to the Black Sea coast and, yep, the grim tourist attraction that is Chernobyl. A series of side-trips means the country's hot spots will be easier to access than ever before (good news for those who can't read Cyrillic). When it comes to adventure, Ukraine can definitely go all the way in 2012. |
